re:quaility of life

[Guest guest]

hi,everyone,

boy,i sure do see alot of myself in some of these recent

posts!i thought it was just me.like the last few days i've felt

pretty good,then around 2 a.m. i was up hugging the toilet

again.yesterday,i invited my daughter and her fiancee over for dinner

tonight and now just the thought of cooking abig dinner for everyone

makes my stomach upset.why is it with pancreatitis just the

thought,sight of,or smell of food sometimes makes my stomach hurt? i

can't even walk down the bologna/ham-bacon/sausage aisle at the

grocery store anymore.any thing

" pork " really gets to me.then i heard the enzymes we take come from

pigs.is this true?wait....i'm not sure i want to know the answer to

that!!

and it is pretty much impossible to " plan " anything with this

disese,isn't it?tuesday is my 20th wedding anniversary,and instead of

taking a week off from work like he usually does around this time,my

hubby is taking off the following week,as my ERCP is sceduled for the

20th,and should anything happen there and i end up hospitalized i

want him there with me.hopefully,everything will turn out o.k and

maybe we can take a small trip up to ohio and visit the NFL hall of

fame since we are big football fans(watching,not playing!).

then some one mentioned

the lack of motivation no energy and fatigue which hits me hard

sometimes and i thought it was kinda like a depression thing,you

know,getting " down " about being sick so much.are these symptoms a

physical thing,common with cp?or mental,a combination of both?i know

my mom has suffered from depression all her life,and i try not to let

things get to me really bad as i don't want to end up on anti-

depressants because of this,but if things don't improve i may have to

do it anyway.

it seems like i am always posting on this board to ask

questions or for advice,never to offer any in return.i'm still quiete

new to this and everyones help and just listening has been invaluable

to me.i know alot of you all are way sicker than i am, yet, you still

try to help me when i need it.and for that i am very grateful!! i

hope everyone is good today!one day at a time,right?

cindy

[Guest guest]

Cindy wrote:

<i thought it was kinda like a depression thing,you

know,getting " down " about being sick so much.are these symptoms a

physical thing,common with cp?or mental,a combination of both?>

Cindy,

I would say it is a combination of both. Many people with chronic

illness suffer from depression. Almost all experience that feeling

of loss, of regret for not being able to be like they were before.

You grieve about it, and wish you were as you were before. That's

all part of the process of living with a chronic illness. You have

to learn to accept this, and then move on. Once you accept it, and

make the choice to deal with it and move on, you begin to understand

that there are so many other things to be grateful for.

I treasure each day, and the time I have with my husband and family

means much more to me than it ever did pre-CP. This disease has made

me stronger than I ever thought I was capable of being, and has given

me an empathy for others that I never had before. I try to use it in a

positive way. I've handled medical challenges that healthy people

think are overwhelming, and the family that is close to me and that

understand my illnesses are stunned that I've " handled " it so well.

But it's all part of who I am now, and what I've made out of it.

I can't say that I've done it all myself, since I do take a

medication for depression, a drug called Lexapro. You'll find that

many of us are on antidepressants. And I acknowledge that this

medication has kept me on an even keel, and that it's necessary for

me.

Faced with the uncertainty of CP and insulin dependant diabetes, the

road ahead is scary if you choose to dwell on it all the time, but I

don't. I'm not wearing blinders, but I care more about making the

best out of today and tomorrow than worrying about the unknown. You

can either sink or swim, and I chose to swim!

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

hhessgriffeth@...

SC and Southeastern Regional Rep.

Pancreatitis Association, Intl.

Note: All comments or advice is based on personal experience or

opinion only, and should not be substituted for consultation with

your medical professional.